To have nearly fainted at the price of Jo Malone candles

[MarjorieChardem]

Thought I'd look at some stuff for my Mum's birthday and heard good stuff about the Jo Malone candles so just had a quick look on Amazon...

EIGHTY FUCKING QUID!!! For a candle. That you burn. I mean it could smell like unicorn farts and rainbows and eighty quid would be ridiculous! I am frankly stunned.

Why though? What am I missing here? What else should I avoid for the sake of my blood pressure?

I threw away a jo malone candle. It was a rose one that someone had given my sister that she didnt want. I burned it but it smelled really pongy so I threw it away. The same person also gave my sister a jo malone ginger and nutmeg bath oil which she passes on. I tried it a few times but too pongy and in the bin that went too.

Why would the Jo Malone bags be large? Surely unless you spend £260, you actually get a rather small candle, which would fit in a Greggs pasty-sized bag perfectly well.

I hate to ask what LB&M is, I can only imagine it's like BDSM, but with candle wax.

I'm really into candles at the moment, I've asked for a Yankee candle for Christmas. Not sure if I'm going to get one though, DH told me he's asked MIL to get me one, unfortunately she refuses to pay £15 for a candle even though she's loaded and I bought her one a couple of years ago

I was in Yankee Candle today, they sell sample sized ones for about £1.50. But you need a container with those, the glass jar ones were £15/20.

The sample ones are probably a good idea because you can't really tell how revolting they smell (some of them did smell revolting in the shop, there were a lot of silly American names like 'A Child's Wish':
blurb 'A warm breeze of soft flowers and fresh green fields captures the sweet innocence of childhood days playing in the backyard.'
reality, 'a warm breeze from the ancient air freshener hanging in the rusty family car captures the sweet innocence of child hood car sickness and stops to vomit on the side of the road before resuming the interminable hours in bank holiday traffic',
but even the ones that didn't smell like they'd been made for a poo at Paul's, you'd not know how it smells till it was lit, and I can imagine that it might take quite a while to get through a £20 candle, which wouldn't be good if you chose the wrong one.

Oops sorry Ken

And love to Aga for my favourite post of 2013.

Why does it bother people so much what others do with their cash?! Baffling. I buy jo Malone, fornasetti candles, miller Harris whatever... You know I do work for my money, I am not robbing it or the items I have listed.

You realise the VAT system does take advantage of large spend items as much as any other item, so it's not like these evil candle buyers are tax dodging, or burning kittens or smoking in the face of babies. IT IS JUST FUCKING SHOPPING.

Right. Merry christmas.

Jo Malone London is an international perfume and cosmetics brand, owned by Estée Lauder Companies. The company was established in the United Kingdom by perfumier Jo Malone in 1994. It was acquired by Estée Lauder in 1999.
I wonder if they were branded 'Estée Lauder' candles they would sell for so much to the thick rich?

I don't like most Yankee scents but there are about 4 I do like and I find the scents more subtle than Jo Malone which I find unbearably strong. Each to their own I guess

coraltoes Are you sure you didn't rob a bank to buy your candles?

I looked at them for teacher presents before I knew the price! Bonkers

I love candles but am always unsure of what to buy in tkmaxx. Which brands should I be looking for?

It's funny isn't it, almost all of us will have some kind little luxury item that we treat ourselves too, but we each draw the line differently on what is a luxurious treat and what is an unnecessary extravagance.

I have asked for Jo Malone bath oil for Christmas, which is also £40, and is a hell of a lot of money for something which is ultimately going down the drain. Yet I'm ok with that, because the pleasure I will get from bathing in it and smelling it on my skin afterwards makes it seem worth it. But I couldn't bring myself to buy a Jo Malone candle, or even ask for one as a present, and I like a scented candle. That seems unnecessarily extravagant to me.

Have a look at the white company for candles. They are a bit pricier than yankee but stronger fragrance and look lovely. Winter fragrance is really good.

Tk maxx sometimes have This Works candles, about £15, so much cheaper than elsewhere. My faves are Dyptique though - smell amazing even when they're not lit. An hour of burning is enough to make your house smell amazing all day.

YY White Company candles are nice and last forever. Not as nice as True Grace although the wicks on them can sometimes be a bit dodgy.

I bought vanilla and coconut primarni tea lights. 20 for £1.50. That will do me

Then my £2 glade ones.

I would keep watching the clock if i burnt a jm.
'3 minutes gone. Thats another 5 pounds into the smoke.'

It must feel like if you are in black cab stuck in traffic and you hear that horrible sound of the meter.

Hogwash I have pm'd you.

I made 8 candles this morning - ok it took a couple of hours, but the kids helped and we listened to Christmas songs. The soy wax is very, very simple to use.

I'm burning a homemade amber and frankincense in the hall right now and it is really gorgeous.

Oh and I reckon each soy container candle costs from £2.50 for a gu ramekin size to £6 ish for a diptyque container size to make.

I wouldn't do it if it was hard. I'm too lazy not really into crafting. But there something rather satisfying about making a lovely scented candle.